NARAL Pro-Choice America Applauds House Vote to Repeal Dangerous and Divisive Law in New Hampshire

Washington, DC – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, praised New Hampshire House legislators for voting overwhelmingly to repeal a dangerous parental-involvement mandate that had gone all the way to the Supreme Court. 

"Teens in trouble should turn to their parents – and thankfully, most already do," Keenan said.  "However, if for some reason a girl can't, responsible parents want to be sure – first and foremost – that their daughters are safe.  Like most Americans, New Hampshire residents want teen pregnancy prevented, not punished. This law did nothing to protect young people or promote communication between teens and their parents."

Keenan also noted that the bill's chief sponsor, state Rep. Elizabeth Hager (R-Concord), serves on the board of directors for NARAL Pro-Choice America.  NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire worked tirelessly to rally support for the repeal. "We salute Rep. Hager and NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire," Keenan said.  "Their leadership made this a huge victory for young women's health and personal privacy, and paved the way for the legislature to consider commonsense proposals to improve family communication and help prevent unintended pregnancy among teens in a constructive way."

In January 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, a case brought by Planned Parenthood against the state of New Hampshire seeking to prohibit the state from enforcing a parental-notification law. The Supreme Court chose not to rule explicitly on either of the significant constitutional questions at issue in the case. Instead, the Court restated its precedent that abortion restrictions must contain an exception to protect women's health, then decided the case on essentially technical grounds and returned the case to the lower courts to determine whether a narrow injunction could cure the law's constitutional defect.  The lower court stayed the case pending consideration of the repeal bill passed by the House today.  The bill will now go to the Senate for a vote.

Contact:
Ted Miller, 202.973.3032